


Sake Tastes Better When It's Cold Outside

by Ceurcentevile



Category: Gintama
Genre: Angst and Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Manga & Anime, Mild Sexual Content, Mild Smut, Romance, Smut, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:42:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25447063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ceurcentevile/pseuds/Ceurcentevile
Summary: She had witnessed the phase he gone through. Manga aftermath head-canon.
Relationships: Sakata Gintoki/Tsukuyo
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	Sake Tastes Better When It's Cold Outside

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: Manga Spoilers
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Gintama

It was a winter afternoon in January, and Edo was recovering in the snowy season. Months have passed since the last showdown with Utsuro, and people have already returned to their routines. People tend to stay at home drinking hot tea in their house in times like this, but it wasn't the case for an underground city.

Yoshiwara, flooded with tourists, was crowded as ever. Winter was still quite new for the local citizens of Yoshiwara, although they have already experienced them for three years now. People that lumped the place on that time were looking for some drinks poured by beautiful ladies on that cold afternoon.

Unlike the courtesans, three ladies were roaming around Yoshiwara at such weather expecting bad guys, two of them were the Hyakka, known as the police force of the city and the one leading in front of them was the leader herself, Tsukuyo. Although Edo had been liberated from the Tendoshuu, apparently the crime rate itself didn't drop much.

Tsukuyo had been patrolling for hours when she heard a familiar voice called her. "Tsukki!", she turned to the source of the voice, spotting a vermillion haired girl with an umbrella running towards her.

"Kagura? What are you doing here?"

"Tsukki, I need your help to find a place, can you help me, yes?" Kagura asked with her puppy eyes. She handed a paper with the place's name to Tsukuyo, expecting a guide from her.

Tsukuyo looked at the paper for a while before turning to her underlings. "Can you two continue patrolling without me?", she asked. Both of them simply nodded and started to walk away.

"Lets go, kagura", Tsukuyo started strolling towards the place while Kagura was following her on the side. "Say, is this for one of your job?", Tsukuyo asked. "No, I'm doing this to help anego since she was busy, yes. Gin-chan was doing a job and the Glasses went somewhere, I had taken care of Sadaharu so I was free at the time. She wanted me to pick up some costumes for her class, yes", Kagura answered.

"Ah, I see", Tsukuyo replied, remembering that Tae had opened a weight loss class at her dojo.

"Tsukki, why aren't you wearing a scarf in this weather, yes? You will have snotty nose, you know", Kagura concerned.

"It's not a big deal, Kagura, I can handle this. Besides, it will only limit my movements", Tsukuyo reassured her.

Kagura could only frown knowing her attitude.

Not long after, a man was seen harassing a courtesan and insisted to make her follow him, a usual case in Yoshiwara. Tsukuyo excused herself to Kagura and made her way to the man quickly. She gave him a good smack before returning to Kagura and started to walk again.

"Tsukki, can I ask you something?" Kagura asked out of the blue.

"Its about Gin-chan"

Tsukuyo went silent for a moment.

"What about him?" Tsukuyo replied curiously.

Kagura took a quick breath before starting.

"Since the last battle, that idiot Gin-chan is somehow becoming a more responsible person, even though he always tried to hide it, yes", Kagura began. Tsukuyo seemed to be interested in her words.

"He tried hard to appear as the same guy he used to be, but Shinpachi and I knew better, yes. He rarely came home drunk and we never spot him on the pachinko again, although Madao sometimes made him bet on horses, Tch", Kagura clicked her tongue. "Sometimes he treats us food saying that he win big but we knew he was lying. I'm glad that he manages his money..., no,...OUR money more properly now since we got better reputation after we saved Edo", Kagura explained while enjoying picking her nose.

"And the one that i like the most is Gin-chan became more open recently, it's nice to see him more friendly now, but still, he was able to change much in such a short time. So... what do you think, Tsukki? Did he damage his head or something?"

Tsukuyo was caught off guard by the question, she tried to process the informations Kagura gave to her but found nothing.

"No, I don't, but maybe he has a good reason for that...and why are you asking me? You should be the one to know since you spend every day with him", Tsukuyo replied while thinking what knocked his head out if it was really the case.

"Well, I think that you are close to him so maybe you should know something, yes"

"Why are you implying that I'm close to that perm-head?"

"You are only a little younger than Gin-chan, Tsukki, maybe you understand something that I don't about him, yes?"

"I honestly don't know, and by the way we have arrived at the place", Tsukuyo pointed a tailoring shop beside her. Kagura realized and then waved her hand to Tsukuyo, "Thank you so much, Tsukki, see you later, yes". Kagura began to walk away before Tsukuyo stopped her.

"Wait, Kagura, are you guys free tonight?", Tsukuyo asked after remembering something. Kagura thought for a moment before replying, "Yeah, why?"

"Can you attend Hinowa's birthday party tonight? We have reserved a restaurant near the elevator, you will notice it right away."

Kagura was surprised by the sudden invitation, "Ehh, tonight?", but then she answered, "Okay, I will tell the others, yes". Kagura turned her back again and started walking to the shop.

"See you later!", Tsukuyo shouted to the girl and got a hand wave in return. She went back to continue patrolling.

Tsukuyo was drowned at her thoughts, _Were those real what Kagura said? That perm-head finally quit being a drunkard? No way_... Tsukuyo tried to deny the possibility of it, but she was curious because Kagura seemed to be serious on her words. Tsukuyo shaked her head quite hard, why would I be thinking about him now? I should continue my work.

She tried to focus more on her work, hoping she would get a certain samurai out of her head.

**Later that evening**

"Oy, Kagura, where did she say the party held at?", Gintoki asked.

The Yorozuya trio were inside the Yoshiwara's elevator as they were talking. On that chilly night, they wore their winter attires to bear with the cold temperature. Gintoki was carrying a plastic bag that contained Hinowa's present from them.

"Tsukki said it will be at a restaurant near the elevator", Kagura replied to Gintoki's prior question.

"Which restaurant is that? Did she think I have a map written on my face?!", Gintoki grumbled irritatedly.

"You haven't visited Yoshiwara again, right? It has changed a lot since you left, Gin-san", Shinpachi asked Gintoki.

"Well, I have, actually", Gintoki replied, remembering the moment he was caught impersonating Takasugi and almost becoming a full time monk.

"Ehh, when?", Shinpachi asked with a sign of curiosity on his face.

"I rather not to talk about it, it's an unfortunate moment after all", Gintoki answered.

Their dialogue was cut off by the sound of the elevator opening, revealing the contents of Yoshiwara. The city seemed to be very active at night and it was decorated by colorful lights, illuminating through the pale whiteness of snow that covered them.

"Let's see, so which place is it again?", Gintoki asked.

Kagura's eyes wandered for a moment before she caught something. "Oy Gin-chan, Pachi, I think that's the place", Kagura pointed at a building. Shinpachi followed her pointer finger and found the restaurant's outdoor sign that said 'Reserved, Hinowa's Birthday'.

"That's must be the place, let's go there", Shinpachi led both of them to the restaurant and went inside after checking themselves in through the waitress. Unsurprisingly to them, it was quite crowded inside. It was filled by courtesans and also some members of the Hyakka. Realizing the Yorozuya had arrived, they welcomed the trio and greeted them.

The citizens of Yoshiwara were quite fond of Gintoki since he was the one to defeat Hosen and freed their city, even some people had another level of admiration towards the savior of Yoshiwara.

It didn't took long for them to find Hinowa who was chatting with the guests. "Ara, Gin-san, Shinpachi, Kagura, thanks for coming", Hinowa smiled as she greeted them.

"Happy birthday, Hinowa", Kagura said with a grin that showcased her teeth.

"Thank you, Kagura-chan", Hinowa replied. "Happy birthday, Hinowa-san, thanks for having us here, and...", Shinpachi paused before grabbing the plastic bag on Gintoki's hand. He sticked it out with both of his hands before giving it to Hinowa. "...we brought a present for you, sorry if it's only one from the three of us, we have to decide at the last minute because we don't know your birthday is today", Shinpachi smiled, but clearly felt guilty.

Hinowa received the gift and realized it was actually a box of cake.

"Sorry, this diabetic old man decided to buy one and made it represent the three of us to save some expenses", Kagura said with a flat face and tone.

"Oi! Who told you that? At the very least we got something for her", Gintoki shouted at Kagura. He faced back to Hinowa and wave his hand back and forth, his face dead-panned as usual, "yeah, sorry about that and happy birthday", Gintoki speaked with the flat tone that matched Kagura's.

Hinowa smiled warmly, "It's fine, I'm very happy that you brought me a gift". Hearing this, Shinpachi exhaled, relieved that she was happy about it. "By the way, you guys must be hungry, I'm treating everyone today", Hinowa guided the Yorozuya trio towards a round table that had vacant seats. After leading them, Hinowa excused herself to head back where she was before. The trio gave her a sign of gratitude before going to have a seat.

At the supposed table, some familiar faces awaited them. A boy noticed their presence, "Ah! The Yorozuya guys!", it was Seita.

"Yo", Gintoki replied to the boy. Seita gestured them to have a seat. On the seat next to Seita's, Tsukuyo was there, she let out a simple welcome from her mouth towards them. The members of Hyakka that occupied the other seats also gave their greetings to them. "So, do we get to eat free food? hehehe..", Kagura grinned evilly while rubbing her hands together.

Gintoki hit her head quite hard, "don't just say whatever it is in your head, you glutton!", Gintoki said with an irritated expression. "It's rude to say that when we become guests, Kagura-chan", Shinpachi explained to her. Kagura only frowned in pain while caressing her head.

Tsukuyo smiled lightly at the three of them, it's been a while for her to see them together, they still are the Yorozuya after all. Shinpachi sat next to Tsukuyo, then Seita sat next to him, and then Kagura and Gintoki.

While waiting for the food, Shinpachi and Kagura were busy chatting with Seita while Gintoki was enjoying some tea with Tsukuyo's supposed co-workers. The Hyakka members were quite awkward with him at first, but Gintoki was able to start some conversations with them. He seemed to be enjoying himself, the mood was kind of bright that night, and Tsukuyo was quite enthralled with the view in front of her. Seems like Kagura was right, he became more...expressive.

"Tsukuyo-san, Hinowa-san's birthday party seems to be very simple I can say", Shinpachi's statement brought Tsukuyo out of her thoughts about Gintoki.

"I never thought it would just be her treating some foods for us", he continued.

"Eh? Were you expecting something bigger?", Tsukuyo asked with a questioning face. "No, no, don't get the wrong idea, Tsukuyo-san, I thought that since she is the leader figure of Yoshiwara, there would be a parade or something.."

"I'm actually glad that wasn't actually the case. I was a bit anxious when Kagura said there will be a party held for Hinowa-san, I thought we won't fit here. But I'm happy that we could just talk to each other like this", Shinpachi finished with an earnest smile.

"Ah, about that, Hinowa doesn't really like big parties, she said she'll happy just by being able to gather with friends on her big day", Tsukuyo answered and Shinpachi gave a nod of agreement. Tsukuyo continued watching the others; Kagura and Seita playing te-asobi, Shinpachi continued drinking his tea and Gintoki still doing his thing.

_It's nice to be with your friends again, isn't it? How long has it been since the last time I saw the three of you together..._ Tsukuyo thought.

The food then came and everyone were eating contently, but Kagura just became the person she is. Gintoki sometimes had to scold her for dropping and spilling her food, which made the others chuckled watching them. It's not an usual dinner, but everyone were enjoying how things went. After finishing the meals, bottles of sake were starting being delivered on the tables.

Tsukuyo frowned as she remembered to never touch that thing again, she could only spectate how the mood in the room had become more alive than ever.

She was looking on her surroundings when Gintoki stood up and excused himself to go outside, bringing a glass full of sake in his right hand. Tsukuyo noticed it and asked Kagura where the man was heading.

"He said he wanted to drink outside, yes"

"Why?", Tsukuyo asked Kagura but only got a shrug in response. After a while, the Hyakka members stood up and approached her.

"Okashira, we are going out to patrol now", the other members had already gathered to start patrolling. "I'll head out too, I'm going to take a smoke break", Tsukuyo followed them outside, her excuse was clearly made up. They started to jump on the roofs of the buildings, leaving her alone in front of the restaurant.

It was quite a cold night, the street was almost empty and filled by layers of snow, while the buildings were showing signs of activities inside. Anyone would choose staying inside rather than walking outside in such weather. Tsukuyo found Gintoki who was sitting on a bench near the restaurant's entrance. He noticed her presence and proceeded to ask her,

"What are you doing here?"

"I should be the one asking that."

Gintoki silenced for a moment before raising his glass, "Well, they say sake taste better when it's cold outside", Gintoki answered without looking at her.

"Fine then, I'm going to smoke here if you don't mind", Tsukuyo lighted her kiseru and puffs of smoke started to came out from her mouth as she blew it.

"Why don't you sit here?", Gintoki asked, gesturing her to sit next to him, his eyes didn't move from his glass.

She was hesitant at first, but accepted the offer anyway. She proceeded to sit next to him and tried to enjoy her smoke, but she couldn't. The wind carried bone-chilling air and for the worse part she didn't wear a scarf. The cold winds that hit her neck made her shiver, and she cursed herself for underestimating the weather. Tsukuyo also questioned on her own decision to not leave immediately and instead trying to endure it.

But not long after, the wind suddenly stopped hitting her when she felt a warm sensation surrounding her neck. She was startled by the sudden change, and when Tsukuyo looked at her side, her heart skipped a beat. Tsukuyo couldn't say anything or even move when she finally understood what was happening. She was speechless when Gintoki wrapped her neck with his own scarf, her face felt hot and deep red blushes formed on her cheeks. Gintoki kept doing his thing and she could only gaze at him until he finished wrapping his red coloured scarf.

"Better?", Gintoki asked Tsukuyo with a sincere smile, which almost made Tsukuyo drop her kiseru.

"W-what are you doing?", Tsukuyo was finally able to speak.

Gintoki sighed, "What were you thinking to not wear a scarf in this weather?"

"Wait, what about you?"

"I'll be fine, I have sake in my throat, you know."

Tsukuyo looked away from him, trying to avoid any eye contact, "T-Thank you for the scarf", Tsukuyo said with an apparent awkwardness in her voice. Gintoki grinned as he found an opening...

"Oy, oy, what's this? The Shinigami Tayuu blushes when a man wrap her with his clothing?", Gintoki teased her with his annoying tone.

"Shut up, you drunk bastard!", Tsukuyo shouted at him. Guess he's still the same jerk.

Before she could get angrier, a voice shouted from inside the restaurant, "Tsukuyo-nee! Tsukuyo-nee!". Seita stepped outside of the restaurant and found Tsukuyo, "There you are, Tsukuyo-nee! Can you let Shin-nii and Gura-nee stay the night at our place?"

"Hmm? Why don't you just ask Hinowa about this?"

"Okaa-san seems to be busy chatting, you can tell her later, right? I believe she will understand".

"Fine", Tsukuyo then faced Gintoki, "oi Gintoki, can you let your kids stay here?"

Gintoki looked at her for a moment, "that's fine, we'll leave by the morning", Gintoki reassured them with his answer.

"Yeay! Thanks Tsukuyo-nee! Gin-san!", Seita shouted happily. He started to walk back before stopping when he noticed something.

"Tsukuyo-nee, did you wear a scarf tonight?", Tsukuyo frozed at his question.

"Wait... isn't that Gin-san's sca..", before Seita can finish his question, Tsukuyo cupped his mouth with her palm and fingers.

"Seita, why don't you go back and tell Shinpachi and Kagura that they can stay here?", she demanded with an intimidating face. Seita nodded and he believed he shouldn't push the question any further. She finally released him and he went back inside quickly.

"Oi, what was that for?", Gintoki asked, referring to her prior action.

"None of your business", she replied, clearly upset.

They stopped talking after that and remained silent, enjoying their own things in the soundless environment. He kept sipping his sake a little by little while she blew some more smoke onto the night air. He stole a glance towards her, looking at his scarf that circled her neck comfortably, the dark blue colour higlighted her shining golden hair perfectly, creating a mesmerizing view. When she looked back at him, he quickly averted his gaze and stared blankly at the street.

They spent some more minutes in silence until Tsukuyo stood up, "I'm going to head back inside". She took off his scarf from her neck and handed it back to him, "and thank you again for the scarf", she put it beside him and immediately stepped back to the restaurant. Gintoki gave a puzzled look for a moment before wearing the scarf again, he smiled welcome...

Two hours had passed and some of the guests had already went home. The restaurant was almost empty as there were only Hinowa, Tsukuyo, Seita, the Yorozuya, and some other guests remained inside.

"Thank you for coming", Hinowa waved her hands at the last leaving guests. "I guess that's it for today", Hinowa said towards Tsukuyo.

"So, Gin-san and the others will be staying at our home?", Hinowa asked.

"If you're okay with it".

"It's not a problem, right? It's already late anyway", Hinowa answered.

"Alright then, let me bring the gifts you got", Tsukuyo headed to the big plastic bag that carried the gifts for Hinowa. When she was about to lift the bag, she noticed a box of cake on the table.

"Tsukuyo, don't put that inside the bag, it's a cake", Hinowa stated.

"I know, Hinowa, but who is this from?", Tsukuyo asked. "Ah, it's from Gin-san", Hinowa answered.

_From Gintoki? I never know he could buy something for her birthday present._ "I'll just ask Seita to carry it later".

After paying the cashier some tip, Hinowa signaled the others to leave the restaurant. "Come on, let's go", and with that, they started to walk their way to Hinowa's home. Shinpachi, Kagura, and Seita were chatting with each other along the way, while Tsukuyo was carrying the gift bag with Gintoki helping.

During the way home, her attention was locked on Gintoki's shimmering hair that paralleled the snow. She could remember the feeling distinctly when he wrapped his scarf on her neck. She recalled Kagura's words about him before, and Tsukuyo was dead curious this time.

After walking a little more, they had arrived at the house, which also doubles as a shop. Hinowa let them came in politely and started turning on some lamps inside.

"Seita, bring them to your room, okay?", Hinowa speaked to Seita. "Yes, okaa-san, good night, come on, Gura-nee, Shin-nii", Seita put the box of cake he was carrying and walked through the hall. Kagura and Shinpachi excused themselves to the three elders and followed Seita.

After the three of them left, Hinowa asked for Gintoki's and Tsukuyo's assistance to tidy the gifts up. They worked rather quickly and the clock had shown 10.18 PM when they had finished their activities.

They decided to check on the youngsters room to find out whether they have asleep or not. Peeking at the small gap on the sliding door, Gintoki found out that the three of them were still awake playing uno. He turned back to inform the situation for the ladies, "they are still playing, let them be, it's not everyday that you can stay at your friend's house", he stated.

"But where do I sleep though? It's crowded in here", Gintoki continued while scratching his head.

"You can sleep at Tsukuyo's room, Gin-san", Hinowa suddenly replied to him.

"What's the meaning of this Hinowa? Why do I have to sleep with him?", Tsukuyo complained.

"You both will only share the same room, okay? Your room is more spacy and I have an extra futon for Gin-san here", Hinowa answered.

Tsukuyo sighed as she knew that the situation was inevitable and Hinowa was on spot, Gintoki would not be able to fit at Seita's room.

"Fine..", Tsukuyo glanced at Gintoki with a serious face, "but don't you dare to try anything funny", after saying that, she left to her own room.

"How low do you think I am?!", Gintoki shouted at her, clearly irritated, but he followed her anyway. Hinowa grinned as she succeeded to utilize the situation to lump Gintoki and Tsukuyo together.

Arriving at her bedroom, she told him to stay there while she will be gone for a moment looking for the futon. "If you want to take off parts of your clothing, just put it there so it won't get messy", Tsukuyo pointed at a corner of a room. "And don't touch my personal possessions!", Tsukuyo warned. "I know, I know", Gintoki replied flatly. Tsukuyo then went out to take the futon from Hinowa.

Hinowa handed her the futon after searching deep in the drawer. She smirked after Tsukuyo left, impatient for the result next morning. _I hope nothing bad will happen between them_.

Tsukuyo went back to her room to found out Gintoki wasn't there, she was confused about the samurai's whereabouts. She noticed that he left his hakama, scarf, belt, and his iconic bokuto on the corner of the room. When she looked at the door that leads to the Engawa, she realized that it was slightly opened and proceeded to went outside. As expected, Gintoki was standing there leaning on a pillar, wearing his usual shirt, pants, and yukata.

Gintoki noticed her, "I'm not sleepy yet, Tsukuyo. Just put the futon there and I'll lay down later", he said without turning to look her. "No way, I won't know the things you can do while I'm asleep", Tsukuyo said unconsiderately. "Are you still thinking that I'm a dirty pervert?!", Gintoki whined.

"Who knows? You had changed a lot, Gintoki", Tsukuyo replied again.

"Really? Why do you think so?"

"Well, Kagura gave me the clues and I just followed her words"

"You believed that kid?"

"I was skeptical at first, but I can believe her now"

Tsukuyo continued, "Seriously Gintoki, I realized that you had changed as a person".

"Kagura said that you gave up relying on gambling and rarely get drunk, I know her long enough to believe her words. And then, you also suddenly treated me differently tonight. It wasn't really like you, what happened?"

Gintoki just went silent, ignoring her question.

"You can just tell me if you dont want to say it, Gintoki, I won't push you", Tsukuyo stated it with a concerning tone.

"Tsukuyo...", Gintoki suddenly turned serious.

"Have you ever tried to forget something so hard but you can't?"

Tsukuyo completely went silent.

"I did something in the past with my own hands, and the memory used to came to haunt me everytime"

"I just wanted to forget that I did it, forget that I was guilty of something, so I tried everything"

"It feels great when I win big in pachinko, because I can forget my worries and use the money to satisfy myself, but when the money ran out, I always needed more to satisfy myself so I kept doing it"

"It feels great when I was hazy and drunk, because I can stop paying attention to anything and gave myself to the liquor. Even though I felt like shit when the hangover hits, I needed that numb feeling a little longer so I kept drinking it"

"I always wanted to forget the feeling of loss, so my mind naturally tried to push people away, because I knew the pain of losing someone very close to you. Even though I love them so much, I never know for sure if I can came back safely, so I tried hard to make it out alive for their sake, but at the same time I wanted them to forget about me if something terrible happens, so they will never know the feeling that I carried every time."

Tsukuyo listened to every words he said. She felt terrible for asking earlier. Gintoki noticed her guilt and gave her a reassuring smile.

"But I'm glad that day happened, the day Shouyou-sensei reappeared. We came such a long way and it was like a dream come true. Despite our brief reunion, it was more than enough for me, more than enough for Takasugi and Zura. We finally have the chance to redeem ourselves, to save sensei from his dread".

"It was surreal that day, fighting for our supposed deceased teacher, but our wish were fulfilled. Takasugi could pass away in peace knowing that I won't have to kill sensei again, Zura was able to do something as his brightest student, and I was able to tell him everything I wanted him to know".

"Seeing him again had lifted my guilt, he reassured me that there will be a better future and I can become a great person. I was glad that I could gave a proper farewell to him this time".

"I don't have to run anymore from my past and I can focus on the important things in front of me this whole time, even talking with other people never felt better for me. I can finally stop being the Shiroyasha and fully become the Yorozuya", finished with his talking, Gintoki lifted his head to gaze at the night sky.

Tsukuyo smiled simpatheticly to him, "your sensei must be a great man".

"Yeah, he is", Gintoki replied with a warm emotion on his face. Tsukuyo swore she could look at this view forever and never be bored.

"I was curios too, Tsukuyo"

"Hmm?"

"About your hair, I realized that you cut it shorter when I first came back, why?"

"Oh, that?...I...I just wanted to accept a change in my life".

Gintoki went silent waiting for her explanation.

"You know, a certain samurai left us without telling anything other than he found something that he needed to be done. Just like that,...he vanished."

"I never knew what he was trying to do or any fight that he endured outside. The only thing that I knew was he may come back one day".

"I made a vow for myself to stay here waiting for him, so when he came back I can tell him everything he missed and we all can go back like we used to be".

"It was hard, there were urges inside my mind that told me to find you, Gintoki. But I remembered my vow and that was the thing that stopped me. I cut my hair to become a new person, a person strong enough to hold my own vow".

"I accepted that you may not came back for a long time, and I have to wait, maybe a year, 2 years, 10 years, even forever. But I knew it was the right thing."

Tsukuyo walked towards him and grabbed his shoulders with both of her hands to made him face her.

"Gintoki, those 2 years of waiting were painful enough, so please..", Tsukuyo looked at Gintoki deeply, her eyes watery.

"Please don't leave us again, okay?", Tsukuyo said. A tear slid down from her eye through her cheek.

Gintoki was speechless, as Tsukuyo was the last person he could think about to shed tears in a time like this. Her expression pictured her worries and fear, fear that the man could vanish any time soon.

He felt that he had done something terrible, and he felt the urge to apologize. The only thing he wanted to do at that time was protecting the woman in front of him.

Gintoki used his left hand to held her wrist and sliding it down slowly, "I'm sorry, Tsukuyo...", he used the other hand to wipe her tear and caress her cheek. Startled by his action, she pulled her other hand from his shoulder.

"...I won't leave anyone else again", Tsukuyo was petrified, her vision was stuck on the man in front of him. For a few seconds, she was unable to speak.

"You promise?", she asked, demanding his answer.

He proceeded to put his left hand on her other cheek, his hands holding her head together, "yes, I promise".

Overwhelmed by the warm feeling of his gentle hands on her cheek, Tsukuyo's mind went absent. Her vision became blurry and her heartbeat went out of control. Despite wanting to break free from the embarassment, she could only stare at his eyes as her body went numb.

Gintoki was enthralled, her face was lit by the moon ray and he could see his own reflection in her lavender eyes.

"Tsukuyo..", Gintoki's deep voice echoed inside her ears.

"Have I ever told you that you have beautiful eyes?", he asked fondly.

Hearing what Gintoki said and watching his affectionate face, she finally gave up, she gave up to her feelings and let them drown her. She was able to breathe, but her body was still tense in his embrace. Time went slower and Tsukuyo waited for the upcoming proximity.

As their faces drew closer, she remembered his glistening crimson irises before closing her eyes, planting her lips on his. They kissed deeply and enjoyed each other, giving no attention to anything but themselves.

Tsukuyo circled her hands around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Gintoki released his hands from her face and then hugging her tightly on the waist. The sound of their lips sucking could be be heard and their tongues dived deep to each other's mouth. They stopped for a moment to look at each other's eyes before closing their distance again, intertwining their tongues in the process.

They didn't plan to stop it any sooner, as time had lost its meaning in their world.

They kept their position for a while before dragging each other to head inside her room. After struggling with the door, they went inside and the last voice that could be heard from outside was the door closing.

The wind blew heavily that night, carrying snowflakes along the way. It was cold, but two souls had found the warmness they seek in each other's embrace.

...

Hoammm... Hinowa yawned, waking up from her sleep, it was still dark and quiet outside. After stretching her body a little, she went out from her futon looking for her cane.

Hinowa walked slowly through the halls of her own house, looking for a clock. 05:11 AM, it was still early and the sun hasn't came out from its hide yet. She decided to spend the time to heat the water in the bathroom. It took around 5 minutes to do that, and she went to Tsukuyo's room after finishing. Hinowa intended to check things out, since Tsukuyo shared her room with Gintoki out of all people _. I hope they could sleep well last night.._

However, when she opened the door, she gasped and almost dropped her own cane. Her eyes widened, staring at the view she didn't expect. She couldn't collect herself, paralyzed by her own shock. To think that they could go THIS far never crossed in her mind.

In front of her, the new futon was laying folded, almost untouched by anything. The only futon occupied in the room was Tsukuyo's, and it was filled by two people.

They were still sleeping, facing each other with the blanket being the only thing that covered their skin. All of their clothings were scattered on the bedroom floor, with the exception of Gintoki's winter attires that gathered on the corner.

Gintoki's hands were wrapping her head and back, hugging her close while Tsukuyo burrowed her face on his shoulder. Hinowa processed the situation for a while before grinning to herself, thrilled that her determination paid off.

_Ara.. they are so cute like this..._

Realizing that the sleeping couple gave no sign of waking up soon, she decided to let them be and went to prepare breakfast instead. She busied herself in the kitchen chopping up things and boiling them to make a soup, which was a great dish in the current season.

Minutes went by when another person entered the kitchen, seemingly awakened by the sound in it.

"Hinowa? You're awake already?", it was the still sleepy Tsukuyo.

Hinowa turned back to found out that Tsukuyo already covered her body with the maple leaf yukata.

"Yeah, I have too cook extra, you know, since we have guests staying over"

"Oh, yeah, of course", Tsukuyo replied plainly.

"By the way, I have prepared the bath water for you, clean yourself first, will you?"

"I will do it, thanks a lot", Tsukuyo was making her way out of the kitchen when Hinowa stopped her.

"Wait a second, Tsukuyo", Hinowa approached her, whispering something in.

"Why don't you ask Gin-san to join you in the bathroom?", she asked teasingly with her usual smile.

"W-what are you talking about Hinowa? Why d-do you want me to do that with h-him?", Tsukuyo stuttered, her body was fidgeting.

"Don't give me that, Tsukuyo. Maybe last night wasn't enough?", Tsukuyo startled and Hinowa let out a chuckle.

Tsukuyo was anxious about Hinowa and her carefree mouth, expecting the bad things that may happen if she nonchalantly leak her relationship to anyone.

"Hinowa, please...don't tell anyone about us and...the thing last night, not right now at least...please", Tsukuyo begged her desperately, hoping that Hinowa would understand her condition right now.

Hinowa sighed, "Fine, I won't tell anyone this time, but you should clarify your relationship with Gin-san later on to everyone, okay?", Hinowa was the one demanding this time.

Tsukuyo exhaled, relieved that Hinowa listened to her, "I still feel awkward about telling everyone, okay? Just give me a little more time", Hinowa only giggled at Tsukuyo who was agitating like a teenage girl.

"Wait, Tsukuyo. Did you use...protection?"

"Yeah, it seems like you left a package in my room somehow", Tsukuyo reassured.

"Oh, really? That's good to know, I was worried", she exhaled, relieved by the information.

"I should get going now"

Tsukuyo quickly stepped back to leave the kitchen and headed to the bathroom. She tested the water beforehand, which was perfect, and drowned herself in the tub.

She let her body relax in the water as her mind remembered the thing they did last night. She remembered the feeling of his bare skin on her body and the firmness of his muscle. He was strong yet gentle when he caressed her private parts, creating sensations that shivered her down to the spine. She remembered the tender feeling when his hands and tongue went rampant on her body, overwhelming her with joy and desire. He called out her name oftenly with his groan voice, and she would gave herself more to him, never knowing the reason how her name could sound so intimate and sexy. She felt safe in Gintoki's hands and regretted nothing last night.

She spent a lot of time recalling her memories about the intercourse with him, and when she had finished drying herself, someone already waited outside.

"Tsukki..good morning..", Kagura greeted Tsukuyo lethargically, her eyes still shut close and her hair was messy.

"Morning, Kagura, what are you doing here?"

"Ah, I'm still sleepy, I'm going to wash my face, yes, hooaammm", she yawned widely.

"Where are the others then?"

"In the dining room, maybe", Kagura answered shortly before going in the bathroom.

Tsukuyo went to the bedroom first to change her outfit. When she entered the room, the futon had been left out with no occupant and Gintoki couldn't be found in the room. She presumed that he already joined the rest in the dining room.

After changing her cloth, complete with the weapons, she headed directly to the dining room and as expected, everybody was there waiting for breakfast.

"Tsukuyo-san, good morning!", Shinpachi greeted her while fixing his glasses between his nose. Kagura and Seita sat beside him, chatting about things as trivial as tv dramas.

"Morning", Tsukuyo greeted back, her eyes scanned the surrounding, searching a certain person. Then she caught the glimpse of white flashes that piqued her interests.

He was sitting there, sipping his tea calmly, full with composure. He already wore his usual outfit, but both of his hands and legs were covered in his blue-swirl patterned yukata. Somehow, she felt embarassed to just look at the man despite everything they had done earlier. Tsukuyo walked slowly to his side before crouching and sitting cross-legged, she couldn't brought herself to even peek at her side.

"How's sleep?", he suddenly asked with his usual bored tone. She yelped but managed to answer him quickly, "huh..great, yeah... great".

Gintoki only glanced at Tsukuyo hearing her weird answer. They continued sitting in silence, and Tsukuyo thanked God or any higher being that the youngsters didn't notice the awkward condition they were in.

Hinowa saved the day by bringing the food to the table, "good morning, seems like everyone is here, come on, lets eat!", Tsukuyo was glad that she finally had something to distract her.

"ITTADAKIMASU!", Kagura shouted loudly before chugging her food down, typical of a yato. Everyone then followed her and started eating, sipping their hot soup carefully.

"Gin-san, I'm curious..", Shinpachi started speaking. Gintoki ignored him and continued guzzling the rice from his bowl.

"Where did you sleep last night?", Gintoki chocked at his question and hastily chugged his tea to clear his throat. "AHH IT'S HOT!", he yelled and sticked out his tongue, startled by the heat.

Seita looked at him concerningly, "be careful Gin-san", Gintoki didn't mind him and continued fanning his tongue. After collecting his breath, Gintoki answered Shinpachi's question, "I..I slept in her room", his thumb pointed at Tsukuyo and he was trying hard to be calm.

"Eh? Y-you slept at Tsukuyo-san's room?", Shinpachi squealed, disbelieved by his statement.

"Tsukki! Did Gin-chan do something to you? I will kick his balls if he did, yes", Kagura murmured with her mouth full of food.

Gintoki was very nervous and sweated profusely in spite of the low temperature in the morning. The last thing he wanted them to know was the fact that he did some adult stuffs together with her, so he tried to hide it from them.

"What are you talking about? We were just sleeping, you know, just sleeping. We never did THAT, okay? Not a chance, not THAT, never..ahahah-AAAAAHH", Gintoki's dry laugh was cut short when Tsukuyo stabbed his hand with her kunai. She realized that he would worsen the situation and decided to speak up.

"We were just sleeping in the same room. It wasn't a big deal, got it?", she said seriously with a menacing tone. However, she was struggling inside to maintain her stoic demeanor, therefore making her body quivered and small red blushes were forming on her cheeks. The youngsters understood to not pursue the matter any further after seeing her expression and continued eating their meals.

Hinowa chuckled lightly at the two adults' desperate attempt to hide a secret. Despite being older in age, they acted like a love-strucked couple in school.

After finishing their breakfasts, the Yorozuya trio thanked them for the hospitality and decided to leave before it got any later.

"Leaving already? why don't you guys take a bath at our place first?", Hinowa asked.

"We can do that in our home later, besides, we have a client this morning", Gintoki answered.

"I understand, thanks for coming. Get back home safely, okay?", Hinowa smiled warmly and waved her hand to them.

"Patsuan, Kagura, wait for me at the elevator, I left my things in the bedroom", Gintoki told them. They nodded at him and faced the house masters to thank them once again.

"Thanks for everything, Hinowa-san, Tsukuyo-san, Seita-kun. We'll take our leave now", Shinpachi bowed his head.

"See you later everyone!", Kagura waved her hand before opening her umbrella and walked outside with Shinpachi.

"I'll get my things now", Gintoki went inside, heading to Tsukuyo's bedroom for his remaining attires.

Tsukuyo stood up and followed him to her room from behind, "I'll go with him". Hinowa and Seita could only watch her figure leaving the kitchen silently.

Meanwhile, Gintoki was wearing his hakama when Tsukuyo entered the room. "So..", she started. "So what?", he replied shortly after.

"Will you come back here again sometime?"

"If I have some free time then I will, honey"

"Who are you calling honey?!", she grumbled.

"You, of course. What? You didn't like it? I thought you felt good when I called you that."

"Can we stop talking about last night? It was kinda embarassing for me since...it was my first..."

Gintoki walked closer towards the agitating Tsukuyo and grabbed her shoulders, "Well, did you regret any of it?", he asked. "N-no! Of course not! It was just new for me", she answered him, a little shocked from the sudden closeness. She wondered how he could make her nervous easily when he's around.

"Give a call if you want me down here, then", he stated before bringing his face closer and kissed her lightly. It was brief but her lips felt warm from the contact.

"See ya..", he let go of her and started walking outside. Tsukuyo was looking at his broad back and his blue scarf as he disappeared through the door. Hinowa and Gintoki could be heard exchanging thanks for a moment before she entered the room afterwards.

"I'm so happy for you, Tsukuyo...", she congratulated and approached her to say something else, "...don't let go of him this time". Tsukuyo reclined her back on the wall and returned the sincere smile Hinowa gave, while watching the snow outside that reminded her of his natural colour.

_I won't let you go, Gintoki.._

Gintoki arrived at the elevator, his 'children' were already waiting for him to show up. "Gin-san, lets get going, we shouldn't let our client wait", Shinpachi gestured him to hasten his steps. "Relax, it's still early, jeez", he reassured the teenagers.

Gintoki smiled as he remember the woman he'll pay a lot of visits in the future. He looked up to the sky and found out the sun was shining brightly between the thick clouds.

_I will wait for you, Tsukuyo.._

...

...

...

...

"Ouch, what was that for, you damn ninja woman?"

"You're being an idiot"

"Are you embarassed?"

"Of course, look at your surroundings you blockhead!"

They were sitting together near the river, joining with others in the fireworks viewing festival. Gintoki caressed his damaged temple after being hit by the lady beside him. That lady, of course, happened to be Tsukuyo. People around them noticed the commotion but ignored it shortly after. Her face was boiling red and she bit her lip really hard, still surprised after his attempt to grope her breast.

"Come on, you shouldn't hit my head, it hurts..."

"I won't apologize"

"You're being unreasonable right now", Gintoki whined.

He proceeded to pull her head closer to his side. Tsukuyo sighed, but managed to loosen herself and leaned her head deeper on his shoulder.

"That's more like it", a smirk formed on his lips and he rested his head on top of hers. They spent some time viewing the explosions that cried out deafening blasts on the sky. Beautiful wasn't enough to describe the show on the summer night. Her sweet scent overwhelmed his nose and his muscular arm surrounded her neck. They sit in silence as the warm feelings drenched their hearts.

"It's beautiful", she muttered.

"Yeah, we should spend more time together once in a while", he replied.

"Just once in a while?...What if I wanted more?"

"Then I'll do as you please, honey"

Tsukuyo released her head from his shoulder and planted a kiss on his cheek, expecting a return from him. Gintoki turned his head before kissing her lips deeply, while his hands pulled them closer. They savored each other's lips, ignoring the crowd around them.

"So, want to come to my house?", Gintoki asked inbetween their kisses.

"What about the others?"

"They stay at Shinpachi's dojo tonight"

"Well then, how could I say no?", Tsukuyo replied.

The sky was lighted by the dancing flares that soared up high, creating perfect views for the peak of summer holidays. Despite all of the amazing scenes, those two were busy with each other, uncaring for anything besides themselves.

_Tsukuyo, please stay by my side...forever..._

_I won't leave, Gintoki...never..._

**...Fin...**


End file.
